Friendship · Repair · Honesty
The Apology That Took Three Tries
"Sorry you're upset" is not an apology, and both of them know it.
- Age range
- Ages 5-9
- Reading time
- 6 minutes
- Category
- Friendship stories
What happens
After breaking his friend's model, a boy attempts three apologies. The first blames the model, the second blames his friend, and the third finally says the thing he has been avoiding. A script children can actually reuse.
Read the opening
Listen to this story
The first one came out on the walk home, fast, aimed at the pavement. "Sorry, but it was already wobbly."
Kofi did not answer. The model had taken him eleven days and it had not been wobbly.
The second one arrived at the school gate the next morning: "Sorry you got upset about it." This one was worse, and Rowan knew it was worse before he had finished saying it.
The rest of the story is written around your child — their name, their age, and the hero they describe.
What if your child were the hero?
Make This Story About My ChildFree, about 20 seconds, no card needed — this same adventure, starring them.
Imagine your child in this story
Type a first name. Imagiverse writes, illustrates and narrates the whole story in about a minute — free, no card needed.
Why this one is worth your time
- Explicitly models the difference between a non-apology and a real one.
- Gives your child language they can borrow verbatim.
- Short enough to read the evening after a playground fallout.
Talk about it afterward
- What was wrong with the first two apologies?
- What does a real sorry sound like?
What if your child were the hero?